2016 S&D Family Christmas Party

Photo of 442 veterans R. Kishinami, K. Ego and R. Nomura 2016 Sons and Daughters Family Christmas Party. The annual 442nd Sons & Daughters Family Christmas Party was held on Saturday, December 10, 2016 at the 100th Infantry Battalion Clubhouse with the attendance of a little over 100 individuals. It was an event filled with merriment and memories for all. We were honored by the presence of three 442nd RCT veterans – Kenji Ego, Robert Kishinami, and Richard Nomura. Ann Kabasawa continues to amaze everyone with her organizational skills in chairing this event for the past few decades. Her dedication and commitment to the organization should be applauded by us all. Lunch included an array of dishes such as tossed salad, fruit salad, a variety...

Nisei Veterans Memorial Center (Maui) and Friends and Family of Nisei Veterans (California)

Hawaii History Day State Fair competition (2017)

Hawaii History Day State Fair competition Sixth-grader Victoria (Tori) Yamashita and her panel display on the 442nd RCT, titled ‘Go for Broke’.” (from Byrnes Yamashita) The legacy of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team is alive and well as represented by several entries in the State Finals of the Hawaii History Day State Fair, held on April 15, 2017 at the Windward Community College on Oahu. Sons and Daughters members Grace Fujii, Byrnes Yamashita and Jonathan Ego attended the Hawaii History Day State Fair finals at Windward Community College campus and enjoyed the competition and awards ceremony. Jonathan’s father, Kenji Ego, a 442nd RCT veteran, was also in attendance. Angelee Marshall, a 7th grade student from Kahuku Intermediate and High School, came in second for her...

Support the “How Hawaii Changed America” project

Support the How Hawaii Changed America project Aloha S&D members: In our monthly meeting of 4 May, the members voted to support the work of Tom Coffman to publish a new book on the Hawaii AJA experience in WW2. Tom is the acclaimed author of deeply researched and powerfully written books on AJA history, particularly focused on pre- and post-WW2 Hawaii. This includes Catch a Wave (required reading in many high school and college courses), I Respectfully Dissent, a biography of Edward H. Nakamura, and How Hawaii Changed America, The Movement for Racial Equality 1939-1942. Photo courtesy of Tom Coffman This latter book was intended as Volume 1, with Volume 2 to cover 1942 thru 1945. However, Duke University Press wants the new book to...

522nd “Unlikely Liberators” display at Schofield Barracks until May 20, 2017

522nd Field Artillery Battery Display at Sergeant Rodney J. Yano Library, Schofield Barracks Hawaii (on till May 20, 2017) The 522nd of the 442nd RCT was their artillery unit known for speed and accuracy during the war.  After the Po Valley campaign and the breaking of the German Gothic Line, the 522nd was ordered to separate from the rest of the 442nd and to enter Germany.  The 522nd advanced with speed and were in front of U.S. infantry units, which is something as usually the artillery unit brings up the rear.  This is how the 522nd came across the Jewish prisoners at Dachau subcamps and others who were part of the death march away from the camps. Members of the Sons & Daughters of the...

S&D Volunteer project with Hamilton Library

Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit in Yokohama, Japan

442nd Veterans and the National Museum of the U.S. Army

Aloha Hawaii 442nd RCT Veterans, Families, and Supporters The U.S. Army plans to open a new National Museum of the U.S. Army (NMUSA) near Washington D.C. in 2019. NMUSA will include sections recognizing the WWII Nisei Soldiers of the 442nd RCT, 100th Infantry Battalion and Military Intelligence Service. It is seeking individual Nisei Soldier stories, as well as objects and artifacts that will be made part of the exhibit. See the NMUSA website at: thenmusa.org. The Sons & Daughters Chapter is working with the National Veterans Network to coordinate the submission of 442nd Soldier stories for consideration for use in the museum. S&D member Lynn Heirakuji is the point of contact for this project and is providing detailed information on how interested parties can submit...

The Japanese American Museum of San Jose

Visiting the Japanese American Museum of San Jose I visited the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) in May of this year with my wife and my wife’s aunt, who lives in San Jose and is a member of the museum. I am very glad that we went, because I humbly submit that the visit helped to increase my understanding of the world. I have not yet visited the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles or other Japanese American museums in San Francisco, Seattle and other cities. I have been to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (Honolulu) a number of times, thank you. There is a portion of the JAMsj that features the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team....

Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit

Dedication of a Memorial Monument Inspired by the 442nd RCT (March 16, 2018)

Dedication of A Memorial Monument Inspired by the 442nd RCT Contributed by S&D member Laura Hirayama On March 16¸ 2018 the Sons & Daughters of the 442nd RCT held a ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl (Oahu) to dedicate a memorial monument for their fathers, uncles and friends of the 442nd RCT and all men and women who served our country in World War II. A bronze plaque affixed onto a black granite stone was installed along the Memorial Walkway at the Cemetery with words that were inspired by the 442nd RCT: “With gratitude and pride we honor your courage and service in holding high the torch of freedom. Your enduring legacy lights the path for future generations.” The 442nd...

Volunteer Project between the S&D and the Archives & Manuscripts Dept of Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii at Manoa

UPDATE: Assistance for 442nd Veterans to apply for the French Legion of Honor

To All 442nd RCT Veterans’ Families (updated 4 May 2019) S&D member Jeff Morita of Mililani is generously assisting any surviving veteran of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd RCT who served in France prior to May 8, 1945 to apply for the Legion of Honor, France’s highest military & civil decoration. Jeff’s public service applies to not only Hawaii, but to any surviving World War II AJA veteran located on the US Mainland, Alaska, overseas, and those who may have served with the same France criteria in other military units as well. The decoration is presented to those still living, although once the application has been received by the French government and French Knighthood is approved the decoration may be presented to the veteran’s...

Helping People via our S&D website

Helping People Interested in 442nd RCT Veterans through our S&D website Contributed by S&D Secretary Juanita Wright Allen Our S&D website is located at 442sd.org. Not only does it have a wealth of information for members and the general public, everything from our activities to a full roster of 442nd soldiers to interesting articles, it also serves as a portal through which those interested in the 442nd and those with specific questions can contact us. The variety of queries is astonishing. The following are my Top 5 interesting queries – in descending order: 5. About McKinley High School. Jordan, an Eagle Scout in Honolulu, asked if we have a list of all McKinley (high school on Oahu) graduates who served in the 442nd in WWII....